Akron officials begin planning for spending additional $16 million in income tax revenue

Updated November 13, 2017 at 3:52 PM;Posted November 13, 2017 at 2:25 PM

The Akron Fire Department is in need of two new fire stations to replace century-old stations in the Middlebury and Wallhaven neighborhoods that are so old, they weren't built to bear the weight of today's fire trucks. (City of Akron)

"I get superstitious. I didn't what to jinx myself and start spending money we didn't have," he said. "We've been quietly looking around at things, like what a new fire station looks like, what it would need."

The increase was approved Nov. 7, bumping city income tax from 2.25 to 2.5 percent, bringing the city an additional $16 million annually. About 70 percent of Akron voters agreed the money was needed.

"It is a validation of things we want to use it for," Horrigan said. "We're extremely grateful for their confidence; now we need to get to work."

Since an increase was first floated, city officials have promised voters the money would be used to repair and repave roads, and for fire and police services. Now, city leaders are sitting down to make decisions about what in a long list of needs will come first.

In 2015, the city engineering department graded all of Akron's 2,300 lane miles and found 643 of those lane miles ranked toward the bottom of the grading scale, Horrigan said.

The city has looked at ways to make road resurfacing last longer, such as taking road surfaces down 2 inches as opposed to 1.5 inches, which can double their life. But the cost of the equipment is millions of dollars.

The city is now deciding which roads will be improved first. The following roads were to be repaired this year, but the funds were not available, so they will carry over to 2018, according to city spokeswoman Ellen Lander-Nischt:

Ayers Avenue from Lownsdale Avenue to Pershing Avenue

Burnham Road from Revere Road to Mowbray Road

Clifford Avenue from Inman Street to S. Arlington Street

Dresden Avenue from Glenmount Avenue to Firestone Boulevard

DeValera Avenue from Home Avenue to the dead end

Euclid Avenue from Fern Street to Rhodes Avenue.

Hartford Avenue from the dead end to Courtland Avenue

Jewett Stree. from Buchtel Avenue to Hazel Street

Newton Street from Canton Road to the city line

Yellowstone Avenue from Longstone Avenue to Tallmadge Avenue.

The Akron engineering department graded all of Akron's 2,300 lane miles and found 643 of those lane miles ranked toward the bottom of the grading scale.Jennifer Conn, Akron reporter, cleveland.com

Akron Fire Department

Akron Fire Chief Clarence Tucker's list is ready, but he is cautious. "It's about how we can be frugal with this money," he said. "We want to have an open book so we can be accountable and people can see where their money is going."

Fire stations

The Akron Fire Department is in dire need of two new fire stations to replace century-old stations #2 and #12 in the Middlebury and Wallhaven neighborhoods respectively. The stations are so old, they weren't built to bear the weight of today's fire trucks and rely on supports in the basement to hold up the floors. On any given day, chunks of concrete falling from above can be found on the basement floor, Tucker said.

Next in line is Station #9 in Highland Square, which was built in 1919 and still has the poles firefighters slid down when calls came in. As recently as the 1980s, the station still had baskets that held feed for horse-drawn fire trucks.

Protective gear and extractors

The department needs 310 sets of protective gear, which run $1,300 per set. Unlike most cities, Akron hasn't been able to afford two sets of protective gear. That means if firefighters go out on a second call, they are often wearing protective gear over their uniforms that has absorbed chemicals and carcinogens.

To properly remove toxins from fire gear, and uniforms, fire stations typically have machines called extractors that look like super-sized clothes dryers. Akron Fire Department needs four extractors at $7,500 each, for stations that do not have one.

Averaging 50,000 runs per year, a number that's escalating as the opiate crisis persists, Akron has many trucks that are far past the 20-year mark, Tucker said. But the trick is to phase in new vehicles in stages, so they can be phased out the same way.

"We really are running the wheels off of them," Tucker said. "We want to be able to catch up with our needs and then maintain what we have going forward."

Ideally, Akron needs to phase in a new engine truck every year, which run $565,000, and a new ladder truck every five to six years, which ranges $825,000 $950,000, depending on the height they can reach.

Akron Police Department

Like the fire department, the city will need to phase in new cruisers to replace old vehicles. Once new vehicles are purchased, the city will create a fleet management system to ensure the oldest vehicles are taken out of rotation in stages, Horrigan said.

Cruisers

Currently, about 150 vehicles - many of which are rusted out and have holes in the floorboards - have more than 150,000 miles on them. Each new cruiser costs about $40,000.